Carton



O. L. VINES Decyzs, 195e CARTON Filed Dec. ll, 1953 5 malba TN .N WL n lon A m.

United States Patent() CARTON Oscar L. Vines, New York, N. Y., assignor to Alford Cartons, Ridgefield Park, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application December 11, 1953, Serial No. 397,652

1 Claim. (Cl. 229-28) divergently inwardly into the interior of an erected carton about respective pairs of diverging fold lines. In folding these pairs of fold sections, panel portions lying between the diverging fold lines arch upwardly and thu-s protect fruit inserted between each pair of fold sections. l have found, however, lthat the upward arching of these panel portions and the simultaneous downward movement of the fold sections about their fold lines adjacent these panel portions tend to loosen the glue flap which is secured to the underneath surface of the panel portion.

I have now found that a glue flap secured in face-toface contact to a vertical wall adjoining the aforementioned panel portions, rather than in face-to-face contact with these panel portions, resists the aforementioned tendency to become loosened when the fold sections of `each compartment of the carton are folded inw-ardly preparatory to loading the carton. Thecarton of my inventionembodying this structural change comprises a bottom panel, a pair of side panels integrally connected to the bottom panel, and a pair of top panels having the aforementioned characteristic fold sections of my previous application. The top panels extend from the sidepanels toward one another in a plane parallel to the bot-tom panel. A vertical interior wall panel, integr-ally connected at its upper end to one of the top panels, is provided at its lower end with a glue ap which is secured to the bottom panel. The other top panel terminates in a glue ap which is secured in face-to-face contact with the vertical interior wall panel adjacent the junction of the latter withthe other top panel. When the fold sections in the top panels are folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the erectedv carton, the `arching panel portions located there-V between -do not overstress the connection of this latter glue ap to the vertical interior wall panel. To provide such a carrier carton l have designed a blank which includes, in serial arrangement, al glue flap, an interior wall panel, a top panel, a side wall panel, a bottom panel, a second side wall panel, a lsecond top panel and a second glue flap, each of the top panels being provided wit'hthe aforementionedpairs of fold sections.

These and other novel features of the carton and. carton blank of my invention will ybe further understood by reference .to the accompanyingfdrawings, in which:

Fig, l shows na representative portion of a blank from which the 'improvedrcarton of my invention is formed;

Fig. 2. -is a perspective view of a part of the carton formed and erect-ed from the blank of Fig. l;

Fig. 3 shows a `representative portion of a longitudinal 2,775,391 Patented Dec. `25, 1956 ICC ture for carrying the `erected carton formed from the blank; and

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of a carton erected from a blank embodying a combination of the features of the blanks of Figs. 1 and 3.

The carton blank 11 shown in Fig. 1 resembles in many respects `the carton blank described in my aforementioned copending application Serial No. 281,791. Thus, the blank 11 is substantially rectangular in shape and is provided with longitudinal fold lines 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,18, and 19, which divide the blank respectively into serially arranged panels and glue flaps. In the carton blank of my present invention, however, the fold lines successively denea glue flap 20, a top panel 21, -a side wall panel 22, a broad continuous 'bottom panel 23, a second side wall panel 24, a second top panel 25, an interior wall panel 26 having substantially the same dimensions as the side panels, and a second glue ap 27. The blank is further provided, as in my aforementioned application, with la plurality of spaced pairs of fold sections 28in each of the top panels 21 and 25.

Each pair of fold sections 28 is defined by a pair of substantially coex'tensive and generally longitudinally extending cut lines 29, a pair of substantially bowed transverse fold lines 30 connecting with the ends of the cut lines 29, `and a transverse cut line 31 bisecting the cut lines `29 and positioned intermediate the bowed fold lines 30. The inboard longitudinal cut` lines 29 in each pair thereof are preferably trough-shaped and are disposed in the sidewall panels 22 and 24 adjacent the fold lines 14 and 17. The transverse fold lines 39 extend between the proximate extremities of each pair of longitudinal cut lines 29 and across the intervening portions of the top panels 21 and 25. The transverse cut lines 31 connect substantially centrally with the longitudinal cut lines 29 of each pair thereof and permit the fold sections 28 to fold about the transverse fold lines 3ft, except where the endmost fold sections are modied to form hinged end flap structures 38, to be hereinafter described.

To form the collapsed carton, glue or other adhesive is applied along a strip 33 on the bottom panel 23, the glue I flap 27 and the glue strip both being equidistant rfrom the glue flap 20,the top panel 21 and the `side wall panel 22 are folded over as a unit `about the fold line 15 so as to bring the glue iiap 20 into contact with the glue strip 35.

The blankis now ready for erection by squeezing the side edges thereof along the longitudinal fold lines 15 and 17. During such squeezing, the side Wall panels 22 Iand 24 assume vertical positions, the top panels 21 and 25 assume aligned positions parallel to the plane of the bottom panel 23, and the interior panel 26 assumes a vertical position :parallel to the sid-e wall panels 22 and 24. The fold sections 2'8 are subsequently folded downwardly and divergently inwardly into the interior of the carton about the transverse fold `lines 30. nThe essentially bowed or convex configuration of the transverse fold lines 30 causes the `topfpanel adjacent theseV fold lines to arch and causes the :fold sections 28 yto assume a substantially concave t lconfiguration characteristic `of my partitioned carton extremity of the blank in Fig. 1 including a handle struct.

structure.

To `the :basic carton structure described hereinabove, certain novelmodiiications and improvements may 'be made. For example, articles placed inthe compartments `of the carton exhibit a tendency to fall out when Cil 30 in the carton of my present invention has a central cut portion 30 which defines each of the lips 36. The outer fold portions 37 of each pair of transverse fold lines 30 connect with the extremities of their associated longitudinal cut lines 29 and extend divergently inward from these extremities. When the fold sections 28 are displaced downwardly into the carton, the combined effect of the divergently extending fold portions 37 and the convergently extending cut portions 30' is to impart to the top panel the arched configuration characteristic of my carton and to form the article-retaining lipsk 36.

The lateral extremities of the endmost fold sections may be modified to provide a hinged end flap structure 38 which serves the function of an integral end wall. In such a structure, the distal ends 39 of the troughshaped longitudinal cut lines 29 associated with each endmost fold section terminate an appreciable distance from the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 17 (which form the longitudinal side edges of the top panels 21 and 25). Lateral extensions 40 of each endmost transverse fold compartments for the fruit to be carried.

line intersect the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 17 at sections which form the hinged aps 38, may be further v modified to ease the folding thereof. Oblique fold lines 41 extend inwardly on their respective top panels 21 and 25 from the intersections of the transverse fold lines 30 with each of the longitudinal fold lines 14 and 17 toward the transverse cut lines 31 and connect therewith. When the endmost fold section is pressed into the carton, the paperboard first bends promptly along these oblique fold lines 41, thus allowing the hinged outer portions of the hinged flaps 38 to be folded easily into the carton without undue stress or pressure.v

As will be seen from the foregoing discussion, articles are inserted into the erected carton by pressing them past the article-retaining lips 36 (Where present) into their compartments. If the article to be placed in the carton is a relatively soft-skinned fruit, such, for example, as a peach or a tomato, there is a possibility that the skin of this fruit may be bruised or ruptured. To avoid damage to such fruit, a short transverse slit 42 (Fig. 1) is provided in the center of each of the top panels 21 and 25 intermediate .adjacent article-retaining lips 36 and thereby makes the top panel more flexible at this point. Thus, when a soft-skinned fruit is pressed into the compartment, the article-retaining lips 36 will yield slightly to accommodate this passage without damage to the fruit. When the fruit is wholly within the compartment, each lip 36 will spring back into its normally horizontal position and will thereupon serve its intended function of retaining the fruit in the compartment.

T-he carton blank of my invention may also be provided with a combination of cut and fold lines which permit the assembled carton to be transformed into a double-celled carrier. This combination of cut and fold lines is shown in Fig. 1 wherein the blank is provided, centrally of its longitudinal dimension, with a transverse fold line 43 extending across the bottom panel 23 and communicating at its ends with cut lines 44 and 45 extending transversely across the remaining adjacent portions of the blank. The transverse fold line 43 and the cut lines 44 and 45 permit the assembled and erected carton to be folded about the transverse fold line 43 so that the carton sections on opposite sides of the fold line 33 are doubled upon one another without any discontinuity in the bottom panel 23. Handle portions 46 may be provided at both longitudinal extremities of the bottom panel 23, as shown at one extremity of the blank in Fig. 3, each of said handles having a cutout flap 47 therein. The juxtaposed handle portions, when gripped by fingers through the flaps 47, secure the transversely folded blank in this position. By cutting each extreme end of the interior wall panel 26 at an angle, as shown in Fig. 3, the ends of thisrinterior wall panel in the erected carton will recede from the handle portions so as to permit free access of the hand to the handle liaps 47.

lt will be noted that, in all of the aforementioned moditications, the carton of my present invention is characterized by a glue connection of the interior panel with the top and bottom panels which is not weakened by the inward folding of the fold sections 28 to form receiving Inasmueh as the glue ap connecting the top panel 21 to the interior Wall panel 26 lies in a plane normal to the plane of the top panels, this glue connection is not disturbed by folding the sections 28 downwardly and divergently inwardly into the erected carton. As a result, the carton is better able to properly compartment the articles inserted therein by reason of this continuous strong glue connection between panel portions.

I claim:

A collapsible partitioned carton comprising a continuous bottom panel, a side wall panel extending upwardly from each side of the bottom panel, a top panel overlying the bottom panel and extending inwardly from the upper extremities of each of the side panels, each of the top panels being provided with a plurality of pairs of fold sections, an interior panel extending downwardly from one of the top panels and having a glue ap depending therefrom secured to the bottom panel, a second glue flap extending downwardly from the other top panel and secured in face-to-face contact with a portion of the interior panel so that both glue aps resist loosening when the pairs of fold sections of the top panel are folded inwardly into the carton, said pairs of fold sections being dened by pairs of bowed transverse fold lines in the top panels and a transverse cut line intermediate each pair of said transverse fold lines, said transverse fold lines in each of the pairs thereof communicating with the lateral extremities of the transverse cut lines, the central portion of each transverse fold line comprising a cut line having a contour such that the central portion of each top panel between proximate transverse fold lines extends longitudinally of the carton over each cell formed within the boundaries of the aforementioned panels when the fold sections are folded downwardly and inwardly into the carton.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,151,821 Raynaud Aug. 31, 1915 1,898,231 Weiss Feb. 21, 1933 2,146,420 Davidson Feb. 7, 1939 2,154,085 Bergstein Apr. 11, 1939 2,525,125 Goodyear Oct. l0, 1950 2,540,066 Williamson Jan. 30, 1951 2,558,712 Williamson .Tune 26, 1951 2,605,034 Williamson July 29, 1952 2,637,482 Broderick May 5, 1953 2,717,116 Vines Sept. 6, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 638,096 Great Britain May 31, 1950 

